According to the British Council, “Deficient language skills and the presumption that international business partners will speak English costs the UK economy about 3.5% of GDP”.
Businesses are expanding rapidly and one of the most common ways to do this is to tap into foreign markets. To do this successfully it is important to be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, suppliers and customers abroad to avoid embarrassing mistakes and problems. Employing foreign staff and learning a second language will open up many opportunities for your business. In this blog post we will discuss why now is the best time to invest in employee language training. Continue reading
There are over 437 million native Spanish speakers and a total of 572 million people who speak it as either a first or second language. It is estimated that there are around 21 million people studying Spanish worldwide.`If you can speak Spanish this will open up many opportunities for you both professionally and personally. For people learning Spanish, the DELE certificated is one of the best ways to make your ability to speak Spanish fluently officially recognised worldwide. I am currently helping to prepare several of my adult clients to pass the DELE exams.
Let’s look at what the DELE diploma involves and the benefits it offers you: Continue reading
Learning a new language for a holiday or extended travel abroad is clearly a good idea and helps you get more out of your trip and make it stress-free, however, can learning another language help you in a business environment? In this blog post we will look at how learning a foreign language can help you do better at work or benefit your business. Continue reading
If your business deals with clients or suppliers in abroad it is clear that if you can speak their native language you will be in a much better position to build a good rapport with them and create a more positive business relationship with them and ultimately trade more successfully. This blog post looks at other advantages your company could gain by learning to speak your client’s mother tongue.
January is the time when we all set our goals and new year’s resolutions for the coming year. A survey by the British Council has revealed that one in five Britons (21%) want to learn a new language this year with Spanish being the most popular choice.
You never know when you may need to write a formal letter to a company in Spain, whether looking for work or linked with a holiday booking, car hire issue and so forth. It is always good to try to write a few phrases in Spanish to show you are making an effort. It may help you get a job, land a promotion or just help to practise and extend the Spanish you already know.
Here are some key phrases to help you write a polite email or letter: Continue reading
If you want your business trip to Spain to be as successful as it can be, it would be wise to learn a few phrases in Spanish to make a good impression with people you are trying to set up good relations with. Spanish employers, colleagues and clients will really appreciate your efforts to learn their native language. Here are a few to begin with:
1. Encantado/a * de conocerle. – Pleased to meet you. * If you are female, use “Encantada”
2. Le presento a mi compañero/a (name) – I’ll introduce you to …
3. Quisiéramos hablar del asunto de … – We would like to talk/discuss the matter of … Continue reading
So you are in Spain to promote your business and attend meetings so you want to make the best impression possible. Rule number one – make an effort to do business in Spain in their language rather than expect them to speak English. Here are some useful phrases and questions you could learn to help you make an appointment with anyone that you need to: Continue reading
Multilingual employees are able to attract more bilingual clients allowing you to grow your business globally by tapping into foreign markets.
Multilingual sales staff, customer service and marketing experts can reach out to new customers more effectively if they are speaking in the same language as potential clients. Continue reading
“The UK’s education system is failing to produce enough people with foreign-language skills to meet a growing need from business,” according to the CBI.
This may be why we have recently been inundated with requests for language courses for staff and managers in companies across Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. The number of international companies and importers is growing in this region and businesses seem to be recognising that investing in developing employees’ language skills is a wise decision that will bring long-term benefits. We are finding that the most popular languages are Spanish, French and German, with Mandarin becoming increasingly in demand. Continue reading